Jonathan Kellerman - Breakdown

Milo frowned. “So it does.”

Mendez said, “Hold on.” Jogging back to the taco stand and heading for the back, she returned a few moments later. “Maria says definitely not, never happened. She and Alicia made a pact when they crossed the border. No more live-in work like they’d done at the spa. And she’s adamant about never sleeping apart. If she’s righteous, and I think she is, your rich lady lied.”

Milo’s jaw tightened. “Ol’ Enid playing fast and loose. Why?”

I said, “I can think of two reasons. It places her out of town when Zelda likely died. And it gets Alicia out of the picture so she can’t contradict her.”

Lorrie Mendez said, “She saw something that contradicted the boss’s story? You’re saying this dowager had something to do with Zelda’s death?”

“Not necessarily homicide,” I said. “Suppose Zelda found the colchicine in DePauw’s garden, ate it, and grew incapacitated. Bernstein told us dying could’ve taken a while. DePauw arrived earlier than she said and discovered Zelda still alive, in agony. She shunted Alicia away, while she figured out what to do.”

“What’s to figure, Doctor? You call 911.”

“In an ideal world,” I said. “But DePauw’s a woman of considerable assets, could’ve been worried about liability. She panicked, waited too long, and Zelda died. The fact that she’s left home and put her lawyer in charge suggests she’s still trying to dissociate herself.”

“She got antsy about being sued so she let someone die? Still, what would be her liability? Zelda didn’t belong there.”

“Having a toxic plant on her premises might’ve seemed problematic. People can sue for anything and deep pockets are a huge incentive. For all we know, DePauw’s been in lawsuits before and got burned.”

Milo said, “DePauw’s landscaper said there was no colchicine on the property and I had Moe and Sean go back with a photo and they didn’t find any matches.”

I said, “It’s an ornamental. DePauw could’ve been growing it in a pot on the patio. Or it sprouted in some obscure corner of the estate and she got rid of it before finally making the call.”

Lorrie Mendez said, “She stands by and watches another human being die. That’s cold.”

Milo said, “Not a pretty death, Lorrie. Ice cold.” He turned to me. “Any panic DePauw might’ve felt was long gone when we spoke to her, Alex. Just the opposite, she was damn composed.”

“Maybe she gave herself time to gain composure.”

“Lying to cover up shameful behavior?” said Mendez. “But then what’s happened to Alicia?”

I said, “There’s where it could get evil.”

“Alicia can blow the boss’s alibi to smithereens and so she got offed? With all due respect, Doctor, that’s pretty darn... imaginative.”

Milo said, “He’s got a terrific imagination. I’ve learned to pay attention.”

“Oh, man,” said Mendez. “This is getting nuts.”

I said, “I could be way off, but the facts are there. DePauw lied about Alicia and the same day Alicia told Maria she didn’t like her job she disappears.”

She shifted her bag to the other shoulder. “An old lady without a record and we’re actually considering a witness elimination homicide?”

Milo said, “Maybe a double witness elimination, Lorrie.”

“Imelda,” she said. “Oh, God, no.”

“We need to consider it, Lorrie. Imelda was a friendly person, old enough to be Alicia’s mother. What if Alicia confided in her and DePauw found out? Or just spotted them talking and got worried?”

“Maria just told us Alicia’s not talkative.”

I said, “Trauma can alter behavior. If Alicia saw Zelda die and realized Enid had acted cruelly, it could’ve troubled her enough to say something to Imelda. She went back to work but might have intended to quit — that’s why she told Maria she wasn’t happy. She didn’t give Maria the details because that was their pattern. They didn’t discuss much. Or she just wanted to protect Maria.”

“There’s another possibility,” said Milo. “She went back to work and tried to exploit the situation.”

“Blackmail?” said Lorrie Mendez.

“Rich woman, poor woman. A solid reason for DePauw to get rid of her.”

“And Imelda died because she was in the wrong place, wrong time? I hope you’re wrong. I hope I never have to tell the family that.” She exhaled. “You pick up anything bad from DePauw? Apart from her lying.”

Milo said, “She said the right things about Zelda. ‘Poor thing,’ but there wasn’t much emotion there. Just the opposite, calm, maybe even snooty. Didn’t take her long to ask how long we needed to be there.”

“Fine,” said Mendez. “But just to play devil’s advocate, that could be nothing more than having big bucks and feeling entitled. Which, granted, is the kind of attitude that fits with covering her affluent ass rather than trying to help Zelda. But morally iffy behavior’s a long way from double homicide.”

“True, but Alicia and Imelda going missing around the same time can’t be ignored, Lorrie.”

“Sure, but that could be due to your first theory — some psycho predator roaming around Bel Air — God, I’m starting to sound like my annoying sister the defense attorney, always with the what-ifs. But the truth is, this is moving too fast for me, guys. The entire scenario depends on Maria being righteous and like I said, anyone can be fooled. What if Maria is utterly un righteous, she’s the one who killed Alicia and Imelda has nothing to do with it — she got waylaid somewhere between her two buses. If Maria’s guilty and we hassle some zillionaire based on no evidence, we could end up severely career challenged. Or at least I could, you’ve got seniority, Milo. And you’ve got a degree and a private practice. Am I totally being self-serving — God, I feel a migraine coming on. And I don’t even get them.”

Milo said, “No reason to rush into anything but we do need to educate ourselves. You have time for any follow-up on Maria? See if her story starts to crack?”

“I can ask patrol to do a loose watch on her, but sorry, no. My own El Tee’s breathing down my neck on a bunch of cold robberies.”

“Would it help if I talked to him?”

“Uh-uh, just the opposite. He doesn’t like suggestions and he’s a whole lot less benevolent than you.”

Milo hitched his trousers. “If you only knew, kid. Okay, what I do ask is that you and I continue to share info.”

“I get any, you’ll be the first to know.”

We got back into the car and headed to the park. As Milo pulled up to Lorrie Mendez’s unmarked, she switched her purse to the other shoulder and opened the passenger door.

“From a missing to all this potential weirdness, ” she said. “At least your rich lady will have plenty of documentation.”

By three-thirty p.m., we were back in Milo’s office, not talking much as he prepared to learn about Enid Lauretta DePauw.

“Got to tell you,” he said, logging on, “I’ve got the same bad feeling you do but I hope to hell this ends up a big-time wrong turn because Lorrie’s right. A rich, respectable suspect and no evidence ain’t a formula for joy.”

Nothing in the criminal databases contradicted “respectable.” DePauw’s first California driver’s license had been issued thirty-two years ago when she was thirty-eight. The most recent renewal was three months ago, on her seventieth birthday.

Two vehicles currently registered, a one-year-old black Porsche Panamera GTS and a brown-over-tan 1956 Silver Cloud I Rolls-Royce sedan. The older car’s registration had lapsed eleven years ago, renewed fourteen months later. No wants, warrants, moving violations, or parking tickets.